(Billie Eillish – Lovely)
"Do you think Dick is in there?" Parker asked spotting the familiar yellow sports car.
That was Dick's car… Logan felt uneasy as he pulled into the parking lot.
"Did you hear that?" Parker asked as she got out of the car. It rang out again, as Logan also snapped his head towards the science building.
Gun shots.
A sick feeling rolled through his stomach.
Surely his best friend wouldn't have…?
Dick had more than a few pistols, Richard Casablancas Senior was quite the enthusiast. He'd even taken Logan to his first firing range.
"I heard, get back in the car, lock the doors and call the police," Logan ordered.
"Where are you going?" Parker asked in alarm.
"To help," he answered quickly tossing her the keys.
"What?!" Parker exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"
Since when did an unarmed person run TOWARDS the gunshots?
"Call for help!" Logan said.
"NO! You aren't Superman!" Parker said grabbing him by the arm.
The moment happened so quickly Mac could barely register it. Her puzzled grey eyes widened in shock before connecting with Dick's fierce blue as he slammed into her.
Dick was here?
"Lock the door!" came the terse command.
Thrusting his body between her and Tim and pushing her inside as he hauled the computer lab door shut in the same motion.
Dick was really here? Swooping in like some avenging angel?
Hell was when her bewildered mind caught up to the closed heavy door with both men on the other side. Her hand frozen on the handle.
"LOCK IT!" Dick shouted between grunts and thumps sounded like a fight before she screamed when the shots rang out.
"FUCK!" Tim roared looking at the newcomer clutching his side. Mac was now safely beyond his reach inside the computer processing lab and those doors had been designed specifically to withstand a school shooting.
Tim looked at the familiar Owen Wilson-esque frat boy and quickly weighed up his options; he didn't have the right set of keys to get into computer server room and by the time he went and found them Cindy Mackenzie would have already called the cops. He'd been prepared to get his hands a little bloody but there was no way to explain this away.
"Dick? Dick!" Mac screamed, her hands reaching for the lock the answering thud of his body falling against the heavy wood.
Was she going to lose him tonight? Why was he here?
"Come out or I'll finish him!" Tim ordered or her.
"Cindy! Don't open that fucking door!" he rasped through pained breaths. "Don't come out!" he ordered. "No matter what you hear!"
No one had a road map to their future.. he'd just never figured he was the type to end his at the barrel of a gun.
"Dick?" she sobbed.
"No baby… don't… don't come out" he said softer.
The terror in her voice hurt worse than the puncture wound in his gut.
Stay in there, Cindy… stay safe…
"Please don't hurt him… can you hear me? Tim Please!" Mac begged her fists banging on the door. Every second was turning out worse than the last. "Please don't take him from me!" She cried as a thin pool of blood flowed beneath the door and spun to reach for her phone on the floor next to her shattered laptop.
"Just shut up and let me think!" Tim yelled pressing the heel of the .38 Special his forehead. "A few measly minutes of quiet!"
He was burned here… he had no option but to try and get ahead of it… to run.
"You just had to go and play fucking hero!" he snarled pointing the gun at Dick's head.
"Hero?" Dick coughed with a bitter laugh. "Trust me I'm not, you wanna blame me but you are the villain in this chapter."
Cursing and almost dropping her phone when she entered her security unlock pattern incorrectly, trembling hands clutched the small handset before instinct took over and Mac dialed to Veronica's father.
"I've ruined everything…" Tim murmured as he looked at the gun his hands in horror.
Was he really turning into this monster with no conscience?
"She's best friends with the Sheriffs daughter… gun shots tend to attract a lot of attention…" Dick choked out with a taunting grin. Best part of playing football in middle school had always been the knack he'd found to get into his opponents heads, to break their game.
He had to find some way to get this psycho to get out of here, and as far away from Mac and their unborn child as possible. Dick was eternally grateful to whatever Deities had seen fit to get him to Mac in time.
"I have nothing…" Tim said, a dangerous glint in his eyes. The last thing Dick wanted was for him to decide he'd nothing left to lose and choose suicide by cop, shooting up the building and everyone else in it as he went.
Give them an easy way out, and its often what people would choose.
"No.. you have a head start… only been about 10 minutes right? But clock is ticking… so you better get running…" he advised through pained breaths. They could hear from the her frantic voice on the other side of the doorway that Mac was talking to someone.
He just had to hold on… help would be here soon… they would be safe…
The most important lesson his father had ever taught him. People were selfish creatures and they were hard-wired to look out of their own self-interests. That his father's lesson proved true of Tim Foyle and expelled the breath he was holding in relief as his adversary took his suggestion fled.
"It's okay baby… you just gotta wait" Dick said, trying to soothe her through the door, feeling her crouching on the other side. "It's okay… I'm letting you off the hook but as far as apologies go… you gotta admit this was a nice move. I love you..."
"Please don't leave me… you can't do this to me! You can't just be you… and then show up and do this hero shit and leave me… you can't!" Mac sobbed helplessly, he slid a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing Logan.
"Hey buddy…" he said feeling woozy playing with the keys to his new condo. Fate had a hilarious sense of humor… at least his dad wouldn't benefit from the new life insurance policy he'd signed over today.
"Dick! Where are you?" Logan demanded casting a glance at Parker.
"That's a lot of blood…" Dick murmured weakly before the line went dead.
